How to Self-Host AutoBrain on a $5 VPS — Complete Guide (2026)
Self-host AutoBrain on a cheap $5/month VPS. Step-by-step guide with Docker Compose, Nginx, SSL, and backup. Free, open-source, your data stays yours.
Practical guides on Australian car maintenance, fuel economy, OBD2 diagnostics, rego lookup, digital logbooks, workshop tools and ownership costs — written by the team that builds AutoBrain. New posts land every month.
Self-host AutoBrain on a cheap $5/month VPS. Step-by-step guide with Docker Compose, Nginx, SSL, and backup. Free, open-source, your data stays yours.
Best OBD2 adapter for Australia in 2026: ELM327 Bluetooth vs WiFi vs USB, which clones to avoid, and what works with AutoBrain and Torque.
What is a fair price for a used car in Australia in 2026? Market data, valuation tools, red flags and how to negotiate the final price.
Find cheap car servicing in Australia without cutting corners: 2026 logbook service prices, where you can save, and what to never skip.
How to find a reliable workshop in Australia: red flags, questions to ask, OBD2 diagnostics, and how to keep a trusted service history.
How much does a car battery cost in Australia? 2026 prices for AGM and lithium, fitted vs DIY, and the signs you need a new one.
How much do brake pads cost in Australia? 2026 prices for front and rear pads, fitted vs DIY, dealer vs independent mechanic.
Free rego check guide for Australia — check rego status online in every state and territory, see expiry dates, and keep your registration current.
Petrol prices and car running costs in Australia 2026 — what your fuel bill really is, why real L/100km beats the sticker figure, and when it's time to sell.
Real 2026 Australian mechanic prices: hourly rates, common service costs, dealer vs independent benchmarks, and how to avoid being overcharged on common repairs.
Red flags to watch for, fair pricing benchmarks, dealer vs independent, and how AutoBrain Shop connects Australian owners with trusted mechanics.
Why your car burns more fuel than the sticker says, how to calculate real L/100km properly, and what costs you money at the bowser in Australia.
Everything Australian EV owners need to know about battery health: range, degradation, hot-weather tips, and what Electric Spy tracks. Free with AutoBrain Q4 2026.
Service reminders, fuel analytics, and cost trends on your smart-home dashboard. The Q4 2026 beta is your first look at the AutoBrain + Home Assistant integration.
The technical deep-dive: architecture, wire format, entities, install steps, Lovelace cards, real automations, and the local-first design that keeps everything on your network.
What should you do with your car? A single feature combining live market valuation, replacement cost analysis, upgrade options, finance modelling, dream-car affordability and AI-driven ownership advice — all in one screen.
Six modules, one question: what should you do next with your car? An explainer of what each module computes — value, replace, upgrade, finance, dream, and AI advice.
Check engine light on in Australia? Read the most common OBD2 code meanings and what they actually cost to fix in 2026 — from a $20 sensor to a $3,500 catalytic converter.
Red, amber or green? A plain-English guide to the warning lights Australian drivers see most — and exactly what to do (and when to stop) when each one appears.
Car won't start? Check these 14 causes — dead battery, flat alternator, starter motor, fuel pump, immobiliser and more. Step-by-step troubleshooting for Australian drivers.
Oil change cost in Australia: $75–$250 depending on oil type, car and mechanic. Full 2026 price guide with dealer vs indie comparison.
Cars rarely fail without warning — they whisper first. Five ways AutoBrain turns "I didn't see that coming" into "sorted that months ago".
Five things AutoBrain does for you and your car — in plain English. ATO logbook, fuel tracking, service records, mods tracker, and a community for car people.
Replace your paper logbook with AutoBrain — a free digital car logbook for Australia. Track every service, repair and inspection with date, mileage and cost.
How much does car service cost in Australia? 2026 price guide for logbook servicing, brake jobs, tyres and more. Compare dealer vs independent mechanic costs.
Australian rego lookup — enter a plate and AutoBrain auto-fills the vehicle's VIN, make, model, year and type. A paid data feature on hosted plans; bring your own provider to self-host.
Free OBD2 code reader app for Australia — scan check engine light codes, get plain-English explanations and repair cost estimates. Works with any ELM327 adapter.
How AI predictive maintenance catches car problems before they strand you. AutoBrain analyses OBD2 data, service history and driving patterns to predict failures.
Track every fill-up, calculate cost per km, and see your real fuel economy in L/100km. AutoBrain's fuel tracker for Australian drivers works with any fuel type.
Automatic trip logging with on-board GPS routes, auto-sleep that never drains your battery, live fault-code capture, odometer and VIN sync — a plain-language look at the adapter we're building.
Digital job cards, signed customer approvals, AU rego lookup and job costing — AutoBrain Shop is coming soon. Join the waitlist for priority access and 50% off the first year.
What separates a good car maintenance app from a glorified calendar? Predictive maintenance, fuel intelligence, OBD2 diagnostics and AU rego lookup — and why AutoBrain leads for Australian drivers.
AutoBrain is the AI-powered car maintenance app built for Australian owners — service history, fuel, logbook and AI predictions in one place, backed by OBD2 diagnostics and resale estimates.
AutoBrain's Android app has cleared Google Play's closed-testing bar. The full public release is on track in about 14 days — no waitlist, just open availability on the Play Store.
Post a car problem, search past issues and get answers from owners who've been there — a blog-style help board inside Community Garage, live now on AutoBrain-hosted.
Community Garage is now live on AutoBrain-hosted — build posts, local social and a federated feed via the hub at hub.autobrainservice.app. Pricing, how to join and what's included.
AutoBrain's Phase 1 rewrite cut its container footprint. Same features, less moving parts — because a maintenance app should be boring to run, not impressive to debug.
Every AI feature has a deterministic fallback path, so your records stay usable even when the router is unreachable. The difference between a feature and a gamble.
MIT-licensed source, full JSON export/import and no vendor lock-in. AutoBrain is the maintenance app that works the way you do.
Screen by screen through the live app — main menu, vehicle profile, timeline, fuel, AI diagnostics, receipts, parts, mods, logbook, valuation, analytics and settings.
Not all maintenance trackers are equal. We break down the five worth your time — and why a tracker that predicts problems beats one that just logs them.
Actually, no. Car clubs get their own dedicated instance, hosted by AutoBrain — and turn it into a membership perk that keeps members renewing.